40 years on LI? I can think of one person off the top of my head that fits that almost perfectly, he started with Jimmy D'Aquisto in `73 IIRC (AFAIK the only apprentice Jimmy ever had). Among other things, he built a Rifle guitar for Kieth Richards.... Are you by any chance that person?
If so, im not only a colleague, but a fan, and would love to suck every bit of knowledge out of you that I can get without killing you.
If you´re not him I´d still love to pick your brain, though, as you almost certainly have things to offer that I haven´t mastered or even tried yet, seeing as you´ve been doing this twice as long in (I´m going to assume) a completely different setting. :beerchug:
BTW, feel free to PM me if you don´t want to "admit" who you are publically, "Your secrets are safe with me".